Agrilus (Paralophotus) gordoni, Curletti & Sakalian, 2009

Curletti, Gianfranco & Sakalian, Vladimir, 2009, Sixteen new species of Agrilus Curtis, 1825 from East Africa (Coleoptera, Buprestidae), ZooKeys 24 (24), pp. 1-29 : 16-18

Agrilus (Paralophotus) gordoni , sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:ADC22987-F0A0-4325-B2C0-EF0530C5F244

Figs 17, 18

Type specimens. Holotype ♁: “NE Kenya, Lower Tana River (02°16´S – 40°10´E), 30 m, 25– 28.10.2005, G. Curletti & V. Sakalian leg.” . Paratypes 6 exs: 1 ♁ and 2 ♀ ♀: with same locality and date as holotype ; 1♀: “ Lower Tana River (02 13´S - 40 10´E), 10 m, 25– 28.10.2005, G. Curletti & V. Sakalian leg.” ; 1 ♁: “ Lower Tana River, Nyangoro , 24.04.2006, V. Sakalian leg.” ; 1 ♁: “Lower Tana River, 2006, V. Sakalian leg., ex larva Acacia sp.”. Th e holotype is deposited in IZBAS and the paratypes in GCCI, IZBAS and NMK .

Description of holotype. Body short, slender, subcylindrical, dark copper, with reddish tinge on frons, disc of elytra with three spots of short white pubescence in middle, posterior third and apical portions.

Head with medial depression on vertex and upper part of frons and two carinae, bordering the eyes; width of vertex between eyes 0.25 mm; frons rounded in dorsal view; frons, clypeus and genae with very dense, red/orange pubescence; clypeus separated from frons by sharp carina; eyes convex very small; antennae very short, barely reaching upper portion of eyes; antennomeres 4–11 wider than long, triangular.

Pronotum widest at anterior third; anterior margin bisinuate; anterior pronotal lobe distinct; lateral margins curved before latero-posterior angles; latero-posterior angles rectangular; pronotum with two wider and deeper lateral and two very shallow medial depressions; prehumeral pronotal carinae broadly arcuate, extending from posterior margin to lateral margins at middle of pronotum; marginal and submarginal carinae coalescent at posterior third of pronotum; discal sculpture consisting of transverse striae and sparse punctation.

Scutellum robust, anterior matgin rounded; transverse carina distinct; hind projection short and acutely pointed.

Elytra subparallel, widest at posterior third, humeri distinctly wider than pronotal base; humeral depressions deep and wide, with dense white pubescence; apices widely separately arcuate, not serrulate; disc of elytra with three spots of white pubescence in middle and posterior third (arched) and apical portions (reduced to sutural area); discal elytral sculpture consisting of transverse wrinkles.

Underside. Prosternal lobe robust, arcuate. Prosternal process slightly narrowed between procoxae; prosternum, prosternal process, meso- and metasternum with short, white pubescence. Suture between ventrites 1 and 2 not visible; ventrites with uniform, sparse, golden pubescence; apex of last ventrite truncate, arcuately emargin-

Figure |7. Agrilus (Paralophotus) gordoni , sp. n. (dorsal view). Figure |8. Aedeagus of Agrilus (Paralophotus) gordoni , sp. n. (dorsal view). Scale: 1 mm.

ate. Metatarsus shorter than metatibia; basal metatarsomere shorter than following metatarsomeres together. Aedeagus (Fig. 18)

Description of paratypes. Sexual dimorphism occurs in pubescence of frons, clypeus and genae: males have red/orange pubescence, while females have white. Paratypes also exhibit minor differences in size and density of elytral pubescent spots.

Size. Length 3.40–3.95 mm (holotype 3.45 mm); width 0.90–2.50 mm (holotype 0.95 mm).

Differential diagnosis. Agrilus (Paralophotus) gordoni , sp. n., A. (Paralophotus) jiloi , sp. n., A. (Paralophotus) penevi , sp. n. and A. (Paralophotus) semerdjievi , sp. n. are unique among the representatives of this subgenus because of their small size. These species may be separated as follows:

1. Body robust. Frons flat in dorsal view ......................... A. semerdjievi , sp. n. – Body slender. Frons rounded, convex in dorsal view .................................. 2

2. Vertex between the eyes wider: width 0.25 times the width of the anterior margin of pronotum ........................................................... A. penevi , sp. n.

– Vertex between the eyes narrower: width less than 0.20 times the width of the anterior pronotal margin............................................................................. 3

3. Frons and genae of male with red/orange pubescence. Prehumeral carinae reaching lateral margin of pronotum................................. A. gordoni , sp. n.

– Frons and genae of male with white pubescence. Prehumeral carinae not reaching lateral margin of pronotum....................................... A. jiloi , sp. n.

Etymology. The name of the species was chosen to honor Dr. Ian Gordon from the International Center of Insects Physiology and Ecology (Nairobi, Kenya) for his considerable efforts to conserve the unique Kenyan nature.

Remarks. Most specimens were collected from yellow sticky traps placed on branches of Acacia sp.